The city of Kiev (Kyiv) is both the capital and the largest city of Ukraine.

Ukraine is a unitary state composed of 24 oblasts (provinces), one autonomous republic (Crimea), and two cities with special status: Kiev, its capital, and Sevastopol, which houses the Russian Black Sea Fleet under a leasing agreement.

Ukraine is a republic under a semi-presidential system with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine continues to maintain the second largest military in Europe, after that of Russia.

Some 77% of the population are ethnic Ukrainians, with sizable minorities of Russians, Belarusians and Romanians.
The Ukrainian language is the only official language in Ukraine, but Russian is also widely spoken, especially in eastern and southern Ukraine. According to the 2001 census, 67% of the population declared Ukrainian as their native language and 29% declared Russian. Most native Ukrainian speakers know Russian as a second language.

These details result in a significant difference across different survey results, as even a small restating of a changes the responses of a significant group of people. Ukrainian is mainly spoken in western and central Ukraine. In western Ukraine, Ukrainian is also the dominant language in cities (such as Lviv). In central Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian are both equally used in cities, with Russian being more common in Kiev, while Ukrainian is the dominant language in rural communities. In eastern and southern Ukraine, Russian is primarily used in cities, and Ukrainian is used in rural areas.

In Crimea, things are more complex. According to the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukrainian is the only state language of the republic. However, the Crimea constitution specifically recognises Russian as the language of the majority of its population and guarantees its usage "in all spheres of public life". Similarly, the Crimean Tatar language (the language of 12% of the population of Crimea) is guaranteed a special state protection as are "languages of other ethnicities". Russian speakers constitute an large majority of the Crimean population (77%), with Ukrainian speakers comprising just 10&, and Crimean Tatar speakers about the same (11%). However, in everyday life the majority of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea use Russian.

The dominant religion in the country is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which has heavily influenced Ukrainian architecture, literature and music.

The World Bank classifies Ukraine as a middle-income state. Significant issues include underdeveloped infrastructure and transportation, corruption and bureaucracy. In 2007 the Ukrainian stock market recorded the second highest growth in the world of 130%. Growing sectors of the Ukrainian economy include the information technology (IT) market, which topped all other Central and Eastern European countries in 2007, growing some 40%.

Ukraine education policy

According to the Ukrainian constitution, access to free education is a right of all citizens. Complete general secondary education is compulsory in the state schools - these constitute the overwhelming majority.

Ukraine education system

Because of the Soviet Union's emphasis on total access of education for all citizens, which continues today, the literacy rate is an estimated 99.4%.

The Ukrainian educational system is organised into four levels: primary, secondary, higher and postgraduate education.

Schools receive 50% of their funding from the city budget and 50% from the national Government budget. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine intends to give general education schools the option to independently manage the financial resources assigned from the state budget starting from January 2010.

Since 2005, an 11-year school framework has been replaced with a 12-year one:

primary education takes four years to complete (starting at age 6)

middle education (secondary) takes five years to complete

upper secondary then takes three years, to age 18.

In the 12th grade (the final year), students take Government Tests, which are also referred to as school-leaving exams. These tests are later used for university admissions.

Higher education

Free higher education in public higher education institutions is provided on a competitive basis. There is also a small number of accredited private secondary and higher education institutions.

The Ukrainian higher education system comprises higher education institutions and also various scientific and technological facilities under federal, municipal and self-governing bodies.

There are two degrees conferred by Ukrainian universities: the Bachelor's Degree (4 years) and the Master's Degree (5–6 years). These degrees have been introduced in accordance with Bologna process, in which Ukraine is taking part. However, a Specialist's Degree (usually 5 years) is still also granted; it was the only degree awarded by universities in the Soviet era.

Universities in Ukraine

As of July 2009 there were 900 different universities in Ukraine. However, the Ministry expects that around one third of Ukrainian universities will be closed or merged by 2013 - due to fierce competition, poor quality of education in a few of these, and the decline in the number of school leavers. Even if the number is reduced to 600, some analysts consider that this is probably three times as many as are needed, unless many are small, specialised or are (or become) sub-university tertiary institutions.

Polytechnics in Ukraine

Higher education reform

The Bologna Process

The universities are in process of alignment with Bologna.

Administration and finance

Higher education is either state funded or private. It is common practice that university candidates are not required to pass an entrance examination if they are willing to pay for their education. Students that study at state expense receive a standard scholarship if their average marks at the end-of-term exams and differentiated test is at least 4 (see the 5-point grade system below); this rule may be different in some universities. In the case of all students with a grade 5, the scholarship is increased by 25%.

For most students the level of government subsidy is not sufficient to cover their basic living expenses. Most universities provide subsidized housing for out-of-city students. Also, it is common for libraries to supply required books for all registered students.

Quality assurance

The status of a HEI is determined by the proportion of programmes that it has accredited at particular levels. A higher education institution may receive institutional accreditation at a certain level, if at least two thirds of its specialities (specialisms) have already received accreditation at this level.

The Law of Ukraine On Higher Education (2002) establishes four levels of accreditation of higher education institutions:

Higher education institutions of accreditation level 4 train Bachelors, Masters and Specialists. Additional criteria for the institutions of the fourth accreditation level include postgraduate and Doctoral courses, high-level research and publications activities.

There are six types of higher education institutions in Ukraine (this may explain why there are 900 "universities"):

Universities: have level 4 accreditation and may be multi-disciplinary establishments (follow a classical university model) or ‘branch’ (mono-disciplinary/specialist) establishments (focuse on some particular professional field (Technical, Medical, Agricultural, Pedagogical, Economics, etc.)). They act as leading research and methodological centres in both fundamental and applied research.

Academies: also have level 4 accreditation. Their educational provision is concentrated in a specific branch of knowledge in which they also act as leading research and methodological centres in both fundamental and applied research fields;

Institutes: have level 2 or 4 accreditation. Their educational provision is concentrated in a specific branch of knowledge in which they also conduct research and methodological research in both fundamental and applied fields. They may be independent or a sub-unit of a university or academy;

Conservatoires: have level 3 or 4 accreditation. Their educational provision is concentrated in culture and the arts, specifically music. They also conduct research and act as leading centres in the areas of their activity;

Colleges: have level 2 accreditation largely related to the provision of training leading to the acquisition of specific higher education qualifications. They may also constitute sub-units within higher education establishments with third and fourth level accreditation;

Technical Schools: have level 1 accreditation. They carry out educational activity leading to specialist areas of knowledge and skills related to specific occupations. They may also constitute sub-units within higher education establishments with third and fourth level accreditation.

Higher education institutions with level 4 accreditation may be bestowed the status of National for outstanding performance in research and scientific activity. This status brings with it added powers in relation to immovable property, facilities, enterprises, institutions and other structural sub-units of the HEI; the award of professorial status; and symbiotic and material incentives and rewards for employees of the HEI. In addition, it also draws down an additional budget for research activities.

Distance Learning

Founded in 1930, Kharkiv National University of Radio and Electronics (KHNURE) is one of the oldest schools in Ukraine. Today it has over 12,000 students majoring in 34 specialties. The University has a university-wide computer network and a functional centre for distance learning. The other facilities include: an electronic library, a student television centre, and a laboratory of satellite television (the only one in Ukraine). The University pioneered remote education in Ukraine.

It was the University's proposal to create the Ukrainian Association of Remote Education, which helped unite and coordinate joint efforts of the in this area of the educational institutions in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The Odesa National Maritime Academy is a technical college specialising in training seafarers. About 8000 cadets and students study there and the annual graduation is about 1000 specialists. There is a web site http://www.onma.edu.ua/index.php?awork_uk (in English).

Founded in 2006, UCL Academy is one of the most popular business schools in Ukraine. The Academy has a centre for distance learning (using SKYPE software). Main courses of the Training Academy are Strategic Management, Selling skills, Effective communication, Negotiation skills, Team building, HR Management, Assessments procedures, Trade - Marketing for Small Enterprises, Train the Trainers, SIM \ TRIZ Green Belt Training and Certification